->''"The Lord of all Evil: Tom."''-->-- '''Podcast/RiffTrax''' on the [[Film/HarryPotter Trope Namer]]

Generally played for laughs, Tom the Dark Lord is when a character that's evil [[SpecialPersonNormalName doesn't have a particularly evil-sounding name]]. This can be used to chilling effect in combination with tropes such as FromNobodyToNightmare or ParanoiaFuel. Tom the Dark Lord sometimes goes hand in hand with EmbarrassingFirstName, but not always. Bonus points if it manages to be [[MeaningfulName meaningful]] or [[IronicName ironic]]. Contrast with NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, which is about evil people with ObviouslyEvil names. See also FluffyTheTerrible, which is about vicious animals and beasts with cutesy names. Compare SpecialPersonNormalName. Not to be confused with RonTheDeathEater, although that can lead to this in fan works.[[noreallife]]----!Examples[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* [[spoiler:Adam]], known by his more [[TheDreaded feared]] [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname nickname]] "the Millenium Earl" in ''Manga/DGrayMan''.* One of the deadliest villains in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', a sadistic young man capable of transforming into a monster whose component parts include a yeti and an ox, had the unfortunate name of Pantyhose Taro. Getting that name changed is his primary motivation (his village's traditions prevent him from just doing it himself). While he feels that anything would be better, he fancies the name "Awesome Taro".* Many villains from ''Manga/DragonBall'' have funny PunnyNames, mostly after food.** The American fans know the villain who destroyed Planet Vegeta as Frieza. It's not this trope, unless you know that's just his name in the English dub. In the Japanese dub, he's mainly known as "Freeza" or "Freezer" (the latter also in the German). It still sounds evil, but the meaning of his name is just laughable.** The strongest villain of the manga is Buu, named after the phrase [[{{Disney/Cinderella}} Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo]]. (Bibidi and Babidi are two related characters)* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' 's Isayama seems to be rather fond of these as the villains of each arc continue have more and more mundane names. The living legend known to have killed slaughtered over a hundred Military Policemen, the man who taught Levi how to fight, and the leader of the Anti-Human Suppression Squad goes by Kenny. His boss, the ruler of humanity and the man responsible for their enslavement within the walls is named Rod. The mastermind behind the collapse of the walls, Annie, Bertholt, and Reiner's superior, and the man plotting extinction everyone within the walls is called Zeke. However, this is likely purposely done to humanize these characters, as their backgrounds show that they are not quite the monsters they appear to be.* ''Manga/OnePiece'' gives us one of Emperor Kaido's three top henchmen, the Calamities, a man so destructive his nickname is "The Drought" for how he destroys whole lands, and who has the highest bounty in the series so far at ''one billion berries''. His name? Jack. * In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', the BigBad of the show was TheEmperor of Britannia. His name was never mentioned in the first season, but we had met plenty of his children, who had cool & exotic names, mostly derived from French, Latin, & German. Then the second season rolled around, and in the second episode, we finally found the Emperor's name: the very normal ''Charles.''[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* In the original ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' comics, Adam Susan definitely counts.* Willy Pete, from ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}''. Until you find out that he goes by that name because it's another name for ''white phosphorus''. If he's close enough to explain it to you, you're dead already no matter what he's saying, considering his whole body burns hotter than the sun, and he's one of the most terrifying and sadistic supervillains ever to blight the face of the earth.* ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' has a few examples: Cedric, [[spoiler: Thomas Vandom]], Mark Zibosky, Jonathan Ludmoore, Edward Folkner, Tecla Ibsen, and Takeda (first name unknown). [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] for most of them, as they're humans from Earth and not trying to conquer the world ([[spoiler: Thomas Vandom]] and Mark Zibosky don't even know about magic, respectively being [[spoiler: Will's father who is trying to make a quick buck]] and an extorsionist [[MuggingTheMonster who got on the Guardians bad side]]), but Cedric is a {{Shapeshifting}} [[SnakePeople snake man]], and Ludmoore comes from another world.** The cartoon also adds Miranda, a {{Shapeshifting}} giant spider and Cedric's BastardUnderstudy.* In the ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW My Little Pony Friendship is Magic]]'' comic's 6th issue, the leader of the Nightmare forces identifies himself as Shadowfright. This doesn't stop his subordinate from calling him by what's apparently his real name: [[spoiler:Larry.]]* The ComicBook/{{Runaways}} once fought a vicious, evil vampire named Topher.* ComicBook/SpiderMan has fought several villains with normal sounding names. ComicBook/NormanOsborn and his son Harry, Eddie Brock, aka ComicBook/{{Venom}}, and Maxwell Dillon, aka [[PsychoElectro Electro]].* According to Superman in a comic set in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' universe, "Zod" is a common Kryptonian name, likening it to "Bob". Bruce Wayne retorted villains are villains, no matter what their names are.* Given its penchant for [[GallowsHumor blacker than black humor]], it's not surprising that ''JudgeDredd'' has a lot of these: A ZombieApocalypse triggering undead necromancer named "Soppi Walters" (though he prefers "Sabbat the Necromagus"); a psychotic serial killer named "Philip Janet Maybe", and an undead demonic deathbringer who calls himself Judge Death but is in fact named Sidney. * In ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' evil warlock Naugus turns out to be going by his last name. His first name is Walter, which wouldn't be too bad if not for the fact that the heroes and other villains also found out that his sister affectionately calls him ''Wally''. Now everyone refers to him as Wally just because they know it pisses him off.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* In fanon (or whatever), [[RonTheDeathEater/HarryPotter Ron the Death Eater]].* ''FanFic/ABriefHistoryOfEquestria'': The Mongrellian Horde was founded by a UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan {{Expy}} named [[FluffyTheTerrible Fluffy]].* In ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' Marik's [[AxeCrazy psychopathic]] [[JekyllAndHyde evil personality]] is named "Melvin." Yami Bakura is "Florence".* In ''FanFic/TheQueenWhoFellToEarth'', a magical terrorist takes on the name Carlos the Gerbil.* {{Lampshaded|Trope}} in ''FanFic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan''. The titular Darth Vulcan is actually named Ted, but figured that he wouldn't be taken seriously if he introduced himself as "the Dread Sorcerer Ted", hence the alias.* In the ''StarWars''[=/=]''MassEffect''[[spoiler:[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}''[=/=]''Franchise/{{Halo}}'']] crossover ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', the villain (for [[HeelFaceTurn some of the story]] anyway) is a super-powered Siren. Her acolytes fall under AerithAndBob (mainly the "Aerith" part). Other Sirens are named from [[VideoGame/{{Borderlands}} canon]]: Maya, Lilith, Angel. Her name is...Sarah. She doesn't take this well when her underlings laugh at the SpecialPersonNormalName, though later on it's revealed that "Sarah" is simply the closest convenient translation of [[spoiler:Eridian]] language for her given title, the [[spoiler:"Selfless Servant of the Mantle"]].* In the ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddparents'' fanfiction, ''FanFic/NeverHadAFriendLikeMe'', the heroes get to face [[spoiler:Bob the boil and EldritchAbomination]]* In ''FanFic/AppliedCulturalAnthropology'' Diary Tom briefly considers teaching people to fear Dark Lord Tom[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'', the main villain berates his {{Mook}} for having the unevil-sounding name of Keith.-->'''[[spoiler:Boingo]]:''' Dolph, tie up the brat; Liesel, hold the book; Vincent, get the truck; and Keith... darn it, change your name, please. That's not scary and I'm embarrassed to say it. Boris, try that. Keith, ya know? "[[SarcasmMode Oooh, Watch out for Keith]]!"** [[spoiler:[[HypocriticalHumor Keep in mind that this is the villain, a Bunny named "Boingo" saying this to Keith.]]]]* Some Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon villains have names like this. Yeah, some of them have names like [[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Grimhilde]], [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], and [[Disney/TheLionKing Scar]], but others have names like [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} Ratcliffe]] ([[HistoricalDomainCharacter who was actually a real guy]]), [[Disney/{{Tarzan}} Clayton]], and [[Disney/{{Zootopia}} Kevin and Raymond]]. Other villains have names that sound "foreign" in the Anglosphere but are unremarkable in the countries where the films take place, like [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Claude Frollo]], [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]], and [[spoiler:[[Disney/{{Frozen}} Hans]]]].* This is also common among Creator/{{Pixar}} baddies, including:** Sid Phillips from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' (makes sense, as he's an ordinary preteen boy in a setting where HumansAreCthulhu).** Randall Boggs from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc''.** Darla from ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' is another HumansAreCthulhu example.** Syndrome's real name from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' is [[spoiler:Buddy Pine]].** [[spoiler:Charles Muntz]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''.* The BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'' is a terrifying MadScientist octopus, with the not-so-terrifying name "Dave".[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* Francis from ''Film/{{Deadpool 2016}}''. He's so ashamed of the name he changed it to Ajax and calling him Francis is one of Wade's preferred methods of annoying him. * The Agents in ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' have very generic names, including Agent Smith, the BigBad of the series.* Freddy Krueger, a demon who can enter and kill people in their dreams, from the ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' franchise (which makes sense, given that he used to be human).* The ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness mostly]]) feature an undead killer named Jason Voorhees (though like Freddy above, he used to be human... [[OddballInTheSeries probably]]).* ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'', with Michael Myers.* ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'', where the evil kung fu master changes his name from '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Master Pain]]' to 'Betty'.* ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'': "Mervin? Your name's 'Mervin?'"* [[CatsAreMean Mr. Tinkles]] in ''Film/CatsAndDogs''.* ''Film/FrightNight1985'' features a terrifying vampire named Jerry.* In ''Film/HocusPocus'', the names of the Sanderson Witches are Winifred, Mary, and Sarah.* In ''Film/VForVendetta'', the [[BigBad Big Bad's]] surname was changed from "Susan" to "Sutler" to, among other reasons, avert this.* ''Film/KillBill'' has Bill himself as the BigBad.* The Sith from ''Film/StarWars'' have some very ObviouslyEvil names like "Maul", "Sidious", "Tyrannus", and "Vader". They take these names upon becoming Sith, and their original names aren't always quite as frightening. Darth Sideous and Darth Vader were originally named Sheev and Anakin respecively, which are relatively ordinary names for the Star Wars universe.** ''Film/StarWarsTheForceAwakens'' gives its main Dark Side user the relatively innocuous name of Kylo Ren. [[spoiler: His birth name, Ben Solo, is even more this trope.]]* The warlord that Max runs afoul of in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' is called Immortan ''Joe'' and his real name is Joseph Moore (which is as about as common of a name as you can get). Doesn't stop him from being one of the most brutal and nastiest villains in the franchise (and that is saying something).* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': The dreaded, immortal, lovelorn, tentacle-faced, murderous lord of the ocean's dead is named Davy Jones. In real-life mythology, the name's etymology is unknown- it may be a corruption of "the Devil Jonah", or derived from a Welsh sea god called Dewi. In-universe, it just happens to be his name. For another example, Davy's sadistic bo'sun is named Jimmy Legs. And the [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides fourth movie]] brings in Blackbeard, real name Edward Teach.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':** The TropeNamer is Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He hates his real name, because it sounds boring and it's his Muggle father's name, so Dumbledore naturally makes a point of always calling him Tom.** A few Death Eaters have normal-sounding names, like Peter Pettigrew (although everyone calls him "Wormtail"), Barty Crouch Jr., and Evan Rosier. * The trio of trolls in ''Literature/TheHobbit'' are named Bert, Bill, and Tom.* From ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Dr. John Hix, Unseen University's head of [[InsistentTerminology totally-not-necromancy]], whose real name is actually [[XtremeKoolLetterZ Hicks]]. However, he's not really a threat, as his [[TokenEvilTeammate acts of evil]] fall squarely into PokeThePoodle territory [[RunningGag by university statute]].** ''Discworld/TheLastHero'' has Harry Dread, the last of the true {{Evil Overlord}}s.* Randall Flagg from ''Literature/TheStand'' and ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' books by Stephen King. Even better, that's not even his real name. His real name is Walter Padick, and has been known as Walter o' Dim in the past. Real intimidating. * ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'' has the evil [[spoiler: Lord of the Vampaneze]], revealed at the end of book 9 to be [[spoiler: Steve Leonard]]. Justified in that [[spoiler: book 1, where Steve first appears, was written and published before the rest of the series was planned, and also in that he is usually referred to as Steve Leopard, which is slightly more badass]].** Desmond Tiny, often called Mr Tiny.* ''The Empire of the East'' contains a partial example: the [[BigBad Emperor]] of All [[TheEmpire the East]] is a rather ordinary-looking man named John. It's a partial example because his surname is the rather ominous-sounding "Ominor."* In ''Literature/GoodOmens'' the eleven-year-old AntiChrist is named [[MeaningfulName Adam]]. Although that is mostly because he managed to slip under the radar due to a little mixup - the kid whom the forces of Heaven and Hell ''thought'' was the AntiChrist ended up named "Warlock" thanks to some very persuasive satanic nuns.** The nun who named Adam was forced to invoke this troupe, since she was really trying to give him either a 'satanic' name or an American name (long story), but she was only giving suggestions to the father. After the father vetoed her original ideas, she then suggested Adam.* In E. E. "Doc" Smith's ''[[Literature/{{Lensman}} Triplanetary]]'', the human characters are menaced by an [[AbusivePrecursors Abusive Precursor]] who introduces himself as "Roger". That's not his real name (it's Gharlane), but still it's oddly funny to have the crew of the ''Boise'' stumble across him on a random planet and go "OhCrap, it's Roger!".* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' the second [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerk]] who controls Jake's brother, and who turns out to be a dangerous BigBadWannabe in the final novels, is [[NoNameGiven only ever referred to]] as "Tom," the name of his host. ** Even more in line with this is [[TortureTechnician Taylor]], who actually prefers using her host's name (a sign that she and the real Taylor have an [[DoubleConsciousness unusual]] relationship). Her title, at least when we first meet her, is Sub-Visser Fifty-one. * In ''Literature/MuddleEarth'' the villain, described as being the most evil man there ever was, is called Dr. Cuddles. He's also [[spoiler: a pink teddy bear]], which explains the name. * ''Gil's All Fright Diner'' by A. Lee Martinez has Tammy, the seventeen-year-old planning to unleash the Old Gods on the universe. She insists that her minion (she only has one) refer to her as "Mistress Lillith."* In the ''{{Literature/Twilight}} Illustrated Guide,'' Alistair's back story involves his father [[DealWithTheDevil making a deal]] with the demon Asteroth. Ashteroth, however, was actually a vampire, not a demon, and his real name was George. He just likes to mess with people, apparently. Also, a lot of the villains have relatively normal names, like [[TheHunter James]], the BigBad of the first novel.* In ''Lovely Assistant'' by Geoph Essex, there's the [[TheDragon sinister man]] who Jenny calls the "Ice Cream Psycho" (for [[BuffySpeak internal monologue]] [[BadHumorTruck reasons]]). Turns out his name is...Lawrence. There's also the leader of the racist skinheads who Jenny encounters in the park: Barry. Jenny [[LampshadeHanging mercilessly teases him]] about it once she gains the upper hand.* One of the gang leaders in ''Literature/{{Goldfinger}}'' has the name "Billy Ring". He's also got quite a nightmarish appearance. James Bond notes that "he had never seen anyone who was less of a 'Billy'."* ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomRynosseros:'' The villainous characters, like [[ChurchMilitant Bolo May]] and [[MadScientist Dewi Dammo]], tend to have fairly innocuous names.* ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' has this several times. In the first book, The Hunter, a ScarilyCompetentTracker who hunts fugitives and [[TheDeterminator doesn't stop]] [[SuperPersistentPredator 'till they're dead]], is named Gerald. He considers this an EmbarrassingFirstName and doesn't like people knowing about it.** The BigBad of ''Darke'' is named [[spoiler: Merrin Meredith.]]* The ''Literature/EndersGame'' series features a running subplot involving the protagonist's frighteningly intelligent, utterly sociopathic older brother, who eventually manages to become the honest-to-God Ruler of the World through a series of expert political gambits that see him appointed leader of Earth's unified world government. His name? Uh..."Peter Wiggin". Yes, an evil world dictator named "Peter Wiggin".[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* A minor villain from the third season of ''{{Series/Lexx}}'' had the name Fifi. It's worth mentioning that this villain is male.* From the Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}:** Angel and Spike, whose real names are respectively Liam and William.** Angel's sire forgot her real name a long time ago, but unlike Angel or Spike, the alias she currently uses isn't particularly intimidating: ''Darla''.** Adam, the BigBad of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s fourth season, also counts.** There's also demon antagonist "Skip" in ''Series/{{Angel}}''.* John Sheppard of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' [[InvokedTrope played]] this trope with the Wraith whether they wanted it or not, which gave us such villains (or in one case, an AntiVillain) as Steve, [[BigBad Michael]], Bob, [[NobleDemon Todd]] and Kenny.* BOB, also known as "Killer BOB", the demonic BigBad of ''Series/TwinPeaks''.* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' has Jim, perhaps better known by his (more intimidating) surname "Moriarty".* Another Holmes adaptation, ''Series/{{Elementary}}'', revealed Moriarty to be [[spoiler: a woman named Jamie, who lived under the alias Irene Adler.]]* ''Series/TheGoodies''. In "The Lost Island of Munga" the Goodies meet a DiabolicalMastermind of previous acquaintance.-->"Who am I? I ''[DramaticPause]'' am the Napoleon of Wickness. The Most Naughty Man in the World! {{Master of Disguise}}s (Sussex University). Arch Rascal, Prince of Mischief. You many know me as... ''[henchman plays OminousPipeOrgan]'' Nasty Person!" * Meg, Tom, and [[spoiler:Ruby]] in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' are the only demons shown that don't have demonic-sounding names. In Meg's case, at least, it's not her real name.* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the leader of the Zygon extremists, alien shapeshifters who wish to reveal themselves openly to the humans, is named Bonnie. Most of the extremists are from the Zygon generation born after they settled on Earth, explaining her ordinary human name.* Kilgrave from ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' has [[spoiler:Kevin Thompson]] as his real name.* On ''Series/WynonnaEarp'', the leader of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent revenants]] is a guy named ''Bobo''.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]* "This is the king of old school Steve Corino, [[IAmTheNoun the most evil professional wrestling on the current scene]], the leader of the most dominant group in the entire professional wrestling world [[FunWithAcronyms SCUM]], and you [[CelebrityEndorsement are listening to caged heat]]. And if you don't listen to caged heat, I will come to your house and I will knock your teeth down your throat!"[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]* [[http://www.peregrine-net.com/PGS_PGN_PRODUCTS/Bob_Lord-of-Evil.html Bob, Lord of Evil]]* ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'': The Prophet of the Dark and Harbinger of Destruction... is named Billy.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* The most significant villain in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is named Seymour. The name's not treated as embarrassing in the story, it's not a completely plain name even if it is in use in real life, and it's not an ironically cute name. But it probably still fits this trope.* Fleming, Lord of the Demons from ''VideoGame/ShadowsOfTheDamned''.* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': A giant, purple carnivorous space dragon who can shoot fire, fly through space and regenerate his body after incredible injuries. His name? Ridley. Probably a ShoutOut to Creator/RidleyScott, as ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was clearly an influence on the ''Metroid'' series.* In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series, The Illusive Man - the leader of the pro-human rogue paramilitary group Cerberus and part of the BigBadEnsemble with Harbinger in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' - never has his name revealed in-game. However, if you read the tie in comics, it's revealed that his name is actually [[spoiler: Jack Harper]]. And his FanNickname is [[FunWithAcronyms Tim]].* Heroic example: ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'' has a WarriorPrince who goes along with Kirby to trounce all the monsters on the planet. His name? Prince Fluff.* A less heroic ''Kirby'' example is in ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Super Star]]'', where the final boss is named Mark. While this fits in that he was just another harmless puffball until he [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated his way to ultimate power]], it's still a bit hard to take seriously, so the localization [[DubNameChange changed it]] to Marx. This has been carried to ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack'' pinball mini game, which the official name translation for him is Marx even in Japanese version.* The final boss of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' is named Seth. Like Seymour above, it's a religious reference that sounds exotic in Japan, but to English speakers it just sounds silly (especially compared to "Akuma", "Sagat", or "M. Bison"). Helping somewhat is that it's also a reference to PromotedFanboy Seth Killian.* Handsome Jack from ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''.* ''VideoGame/DokaponKingdom'' has Overlord Rico, but he fits right in with the ridiculous nature of the world.* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'':** The recurring evil mastermind of the series is named Alex. Like Seymour above, it's not really commented on, and it's justified in that he comes from Imil, where relatively plain Western names are the standard. More outlandish villains have more outlandish names, making Alex a distinct contrast.** Subverted in ''Dark Dawn'' when [[spoiler: Alex uses the alias "Arcanus". Not only does it match the Tarot ThemeNaming of his new allies, it also upstages them, fitting Alex's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-important personality]] and [[AGodAmI new powers]]. And returns to being played straight when he finally reveals his identity, to the shock of all present. Except for [[CoolOldGuy Kraden]], [[TheSmartGuy who had figured it out already]].]]* The pirate chief in ''Dungeon Raiders'' is called the "Giant Parrot Who Goes 'Qweek'!" Lampshaded when the main character commented "Yup, it's a stupid name, but don't let that fool you. He's very dangerous!" And again when he added that once he rescued his friends "After that, we'll see. But we could get together and decide to change the stupid names of the bosses."* A lot of Bosses in the ''Franchise/FinalFight'' series have pretty average names, such as Abigail in the first game, Freddie and Philippe in the second, Dave and Drake in the third, and Hugo in ''Revenge''. * ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has as its main enemy.... a guy called Bob.* The Pig King of ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' makes Giygas look tame in comparison, orchestrating the horrific Chimera projects that turns peaceful animals into deranged cyborgs, conquering your hometown and corrupting the residents into greedy, selfish people, and ultimately deciding to destroy the world for laughs. King P[[spoiler:orky]] also qualifies in the [[Videogame/EarthBound previous game he appeared in.]]* The ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' series almost seems to be making a trend out of this for the boss names, with all the villains having names more suited to a school or workplace than the dark side. Some examples include Roger (the potted ghost), Raphael (the raven), Gilbert (the gooey boss in world 1), Hector, Sal and (in ''New Island'') Fred.* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' Caesar, the leader of the brutal slave army Caesar's Legion, self-proclaimed Son of Mars was born Edward Sallow, and the man even he was afraid of: the Malpais Legate, or the Burned Man was originally a Mormon named Joshua Graham.* The boss of the Holy MacGuffin Quest in ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' is the mighty Ed the Undying. When [[LampshadedTrope asked about this]] he says that he was never big on fancy titles.* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, the leader of the NebulousEvilOrganization usually has a cool name; [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Team Rocket]] has Giovanni, [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Team Galactic]] has Cyrus, [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Team Plasma]] has Ghetsis, and [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Team Flare]] has Lysandre. [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Team Magma and Team Aqua]], however? Maxie and Archie, respectively.* In ''VideoGAme/Disgaea2CursedMemories'' a legendary Overlord is named Zenon. While it might sound impressive in Japanese or English it is a fairly common name in Polish.* Most of the villains in the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games qualify: Albert Wesker, William Berkin, Alexia Ashford, Derek C. Simmons, Carla Radames, etc. All justified, however, on accounts that they were each ordinary business people ([[spoiler:apart from Carla, who was actually created through cloning]]) prior to their mutations.* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': The most fearsome crime lord in Southtown is named... Geese Howard. Yes, named after a ''fowl''. [[SNKBoss And he'll still kick the crap of anyone that crosses him.]]* The Hero of Oakvale in ''VideoGame/FableI'' is OnlyKnownByTheirNickname... which, if he has a StartOfDarkness and doesn't pay money to take a new name, will remain "Chicken Chaser" long after he becomes the most infamous and [[TheDreaded feared]] villain on the continent.[[/folder]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]* ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2'' has a character claiming to be a demon lord of destruction. His name? Tanaka- one of the most common names in Japan, and essentially the equivalent of 'Dark Lord Bob'.* In [=ClockUp=]'s ''Maggot Baits'', the biggest, meanest, supernatural "witch" (yes, include the quotation marks) in the game...her name is Sandy. And her rude, hedonistic partner's name is Isabel. The rest of the "witches" names (either Heroic or TrueNeutral) are Carol, Gloria, Wilma, Alison, Carla, Edna, Irene, and [[NoNameGiven Jane Doe]]. Well, all the witches ''are'' named after famous hurricanes because of their incredible destructive power, so they still are {{Meaningful Name}}s.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* From ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'', there is a character whose titles include "Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead, King of the Dance, [[SheIsTheKing Mistress of Magma]] and mayor of a little (undead) village up the coast." The character's name? Richard. This is constantly mocked in the comic. The protagonist Cale is fond of referring to him as Dick just to get on his nerves.* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' gives us an alternate reality EvilOverlord version of one of the protagonists. All hail Lord Tedd! And then there's the maniac with a god complex, Damien.* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' we have "Chaz," an unstoppable sword also known as the Unholy Evil Death Bringer, forged in the most insidious of flame by the blacksmith known only as... Bob.* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'' gives us the Conspirator, Greater Daemon of the Patterner...Kevin.-->'''Jamilla:''' Wait, ''Kevin?''\\'''Kevin:''' "Kevin" is not my real name, since that is unpronounceable in your feeble mortal tongue. If you were able to pronounce it, [[BrownNote the skies themselves would shatter]]!\\'''Morth:''' Actually, it ''is'' his real name.\\'''Kevin:''' Oh, just tell everybody, why don't you?* Bob is one of the major villains of the sprite comic ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge''. [[spoiler:He's also a fiery supervillain known as Napalm, but most people refer to him as "Bob" even when he's manifesting his "Napalm" superpowers.]]* The Emperor of the Souballo Empire's name is "Brian" in ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure''. * The (most frequently appearing) super-powered, evil trickster of the ''Webcomic/MountainTime'' universe is Dave.* ''Webcomic/TrueVillains'' features a sinister NoNonsenseNemesis sorcerer who shows up out of nowhere to punch a hole through Sebastian's soul, face Xaneth in magical battle, and even return from Hell as [[CameBackStrong a giant demon]] bent on vengeance. His name? Dove.* In ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'', we learn after his defeat and incarceration that [[spoiler: Vehemence's actual given name is Kevin]]. The author mentions he specifically chose it as a non-threatening name [[PersonOfMassDestruction for an extremely dangerous villain]].* ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' gives us the Dave Conspiracy, a secret society controlling much of the world, made up of everyone named Dave.* In ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'', Thebestmaster eventually reveals that the [[BigBad Nightmare]] [[AntiVillain Night]] is really named [[spoiler:Steve]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* [[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Doctor Horrible]]. His SecretIdentity is that of an awkward nerd named Billy. Of course, his villainous nickname and its accompanying catchphrase ("I've got a [=PhD=] in Horribleness") are intentionally {{Narm}}y as well.* In TabletopGame/NewVindicators, the main villain of the Laputa arc in the European story, Laputa-Prime, is really named [[spoiler:Elizabeth]], but often addressed by a very cutesy-sounding nickname, [[spoiler: Little Lizzie.]]* ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'':** The villain of the second video is a talking clock with control over the flow of time who uses his power to [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution rot the puppets alive for questioning him.]]]] WordOfGod is that his name is Tony.** Shrignold in the third video doesn't qualify, but [[spoiler:Malcolm, [[GreaterScopeVillain the god he serves]]]], does.** In the fourth video, the puppets are [[spoiler:trapped in a deteriorating virtual world where there is nothing to do but open three doors over and over again]] by a sentient computer. WordOfGod is that the computer's name is Collin.* WebAnimation/NoEvil: The ostensibly human Charles, who seems to be [[spoiler: behind the return of the Black Tezcatlipoca.]]* Machinima/RedVsBlue:** The main villains of The Blood Gulch Chronicles are named O'Malley, [[spoiler: Gary, and Reggie. Though O'Malley and Gary aren't their actual names, which are the somewhat more sinister-sounding Omega and Gamma.]]** The Director of Project Freelancer, the [[BigBad main villain]] ultimately behind basically every problem in the series is named [[spoiler: Leonard Church.]] Along with his right-hand man [[spoiler: Aiden Price.]]** [[spoiler: [[BigBadDuumvirate One of the main villains]] of the Chorus Trilogy is simply named Felix. (The other goes by the name of his armor instead of using a proper name.) [[BiggerBad Their boss, the Chairman of Charon Industries]], is named Malcom Hargrove.]]* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' has the KnightTemplar MadDoctor Filbert and the AxCrazy 'highest priority hazard', Tom. The latter is usually referred to by his subject number (#6), as [[OneSteveLimit he shares his name with Ruby's companion]]. [[spoiler: For the very good reason that they're one and the same. The person that the players thought was Subject #6 (who was really #5) also counts, since he's an ''incredibly'' creepy borderline EldritchAbomination whose name is also Tom.]] [[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':** Dr Doofenschmirtz is often called Dr. Doof.** Doof started an Evil League called the '''L'''eague '''O'''f '''V'''illainous '''E'''vildoers '''M'''aniacally '''U'''nited '''F'''or '''F'''rightening '''I'''nvestment in '''N'''aughtiness. Or as it's better known, [[FunWithAcronyms L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.]]** There's also Galactic Overlord Mitch. [[IHaveManyNames Some people call him "Big Mitch".]]* The '''L'''eague '''O'''f '''V'''illainous '''E'''vildoers (LOVE) featured in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee''. June also goes up against a GovernmentConspiracy called '''H'''umans for the '''A'''bolishment of '''M'''agic... HAM.** Another recurring villain in the series is the Sandman, who prefers to go by his real name: Stephen. (But does ''not'' like to be called "Steve".)* ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'' has Carl the Evil Cockroach Wizard.* In ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'', there is the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy.* Simon the gremlin from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollz}}''.* In the third [[TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy]]-[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents Timmy]] [[{{Crossover}} Power Hour]], there is a ''male'' villain named "Shirley".* ''TheSuperHeroSquadShow'' once had The Trapster appear. However due to his original villain name being 'Paste Pot Pete' he is mocked by MODOK and the Abomination for being named "Pete".* In ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'', when Larry took over D.O.O.M. he changed his name to Murray, which made everyone in T.U.F.F gasp in fear. * In ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'', the main villain is a rodent-like alien named Dr. Hamsterviel, often mispronounced to sound like the not-very-threatening Hamsterwheel.* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' has [[VampireMonarch Marceline]]'s father, Hunson Aberdeer. Neither are particularly common names, but it's oddly normal for a demonic, [[YourSoulIsMine soul-sucking]] HumanoidAbomination who rules over a [[WorldOfChaos World Of]] ChaoticEvil. (It's also a bit odd for the setting, as most characters don't have "normal" surnames.) * The TV Series of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' gives us Alvin the Treacherous. Also lampshaded in the show itself.* In ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' Death's baby son is named Thomas.* The BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is named [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Bill Cipher]], often just called "Bill" by the main characters. He manages to be [[NightmareFetishist plenty scary]] despite his [[BewareTheSillyOnes many silly attributes]]. * The cartoon spin-off of WheresWaldo featured the terrible, evil, malicious grey knight...Fred.* David Xanathos of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' has a cool last name but a pretty common first one. The irony lay is his enemy being named [[DavidVersusGoliath "Goliath."]]* Plankton from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' has the EmbarrassingFirstName of Sheldon, which is not particularly evil-sounding either.* Sideshow Bob from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', although he is rarely referred to simply as "Bob."* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''** Star's demonic ex-boyfriend is literally named Tom.** The "evil efficiency expert" Ludo hires in "Fortune Cookies" is a slick, suave lizard man named [[FluffyTheTerrible Toffee]], who winds up being a KnightOfCerebus.* Peaches the Dark Lord from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' who famously tried to take Heffer's soul twice [[BannedEpisode (and one episode ended up being banned!)]].* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has villains with names like Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Tirek, and... Starlight Glimmer. Considering she [[spoiler: rips the marks of ponies' destiny right off their unwilling bodies, and then later alters time itself so that Twilight is forced to endure alternate futures based around each previous villain conquering the world,]] Starlight may be the worst of them all.[[/folder]]----